Adjustable rail-chair.



A. G. LIEBMANN.

ADJUSTABLE RAIL CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1913.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

attomwg 0.. PHOTG-LITHOH WASHINGTON D. C

AUGUST G. LIEBMANN, OF BUTTE, IVIONTA ,COIVIPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

NA, ASSIGNOIR. T0 VIGNOLES RAIL CHAIR A CORPORATION 015 DELAWARE.

ADJUSTABLE RAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1%15.

Application filed August 27, 1913. Serial No. 787,006.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUST G. LIEBMANN, citizen of the United States, residing at Butte, in the county of Silverbow and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Adjustable Rail- Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway track appliance and more particularly to rail chairs.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair wherein a very definite and precise adjustment of the rail may be secured both laterally and vertically, thus particularly fitting the chair for use on A. further object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair so constructed that the rail may be very easily adjusted either laterally or vertically without the necessity of disturbing the tics, ballast and subgrade, this being particularly desirable on chairs in use on curves where, if the gage has become widened or superelevation of the track surface is battered down it is necessary that the rail should be immediately readjusted so as to avoid all chance of accident.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair particularly adapted for the superelevation of curves wherein the lateral adjustment of the rail to secure the proper gage is entirely independent of the vertical adjustment of the rail to secure the proper superelevation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair particularly adapted to be used for supporting rails on curves and adapted to be used in conjunction with the chairs illustrated and described in my pending applications, Serial Number 787,010 filed August 27th 1913, and Serial Number 7 87,00a filed August 27th 1918.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair wherein lateral and vertical adjustment of the rail may be secured without the use of shims. And still another object is the provision of a chair so constructed that any required degree of superelevation or lateral adjustment, no matter how precise, may be secured.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a tie, a rail thereon and the improved rail chair; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and F ig. l is a plan view of the supporting plate or saddle of the chair reduced in scale.

Referring to these drawings A designates a tie and B a rail. The tie may be of any ordinary or suitable form but is illustrated as a wooden tie. The rail B has any standard cross section.

Mounted upon the tie and held thereto preferably by screw spikes is the base plate 2. The ends of this base plate are upwardly turned so as to form oppositely disposed parallel abutments. The base plate is formed at its middle with a longitudinally extending rib or flange 4. This flange eX- tends longitudinally along the base plate and then upward to the height of the ends or abutments 3. It will thus be seen that the base plate is T shaped in cross section and that this base plate may therefore be readily formed from a common structural element such as a T shaped rolled bar.

Disposed upon the base plate is the supporting plate or saddle 5, a plan view of which is shown in Fig. 4. This plate 5 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 6 disposed at the longitudinal axis of the plate and intersecting with the transverse slots 7 adjacent the ends of the plates. The slot or groove 6 opens through the bottom of the saddle only and receives the rib 4: while the transverse slots 7 open through both the top and bottom of the saddle and receive the upwardly extending ends of abutments 3 of the base plate as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

As illustrated in Fig. 3 the plate 5 is cut away on its underside adjacent its ends as at 8 and the relatively thick middle portion of the plate is longitudinally slotted as at 9. There are two of these slots extending inwardly from each end of the plate 5 and the upper wall of each of these slots is downwardly and inwardly inclined so as to coact and be engaged by lifting wedges 10. There are two of these lifting wedges disposed at each end of the chair, each of these lifting wedges having a flat lower face and an inclined upper face and each passing through slots formed at the base of the abutments 3, the flat lower face of each wedge resting upon the flat upper face of the base plate 2. It will be obvious that when these wedges are driven home to their full extent they will lift the plate or saddle 5 and lift the rail with this plate 5 and that when the wedges are withdrawn the saddle and rail will be lowered. Each wedge is formed with a plurality of perforations 11 whereby pins, bolts or other suitable locking means may be used to lock the wedge in its adjusted position, one of these pins being shown for each wedge in Fig. 3 and designated 12. The ends of the saddle 5 are cut away upon their under faces for the purpose of permitting the insertion of the pins 12.

Disposed on each side of the rail B are movable wedging members or rail braces 13. Each of these rail braces engages beneath the head of the rail and against the base of the rail. Each rail brace is formed with an outer inclined face 14: and with a lateral extension 15 which is perforated for the passage of a bolt. Disposed between each abutment and the corresponding rail brace is a fixed wedging member 16 having an inner inclined face coacting with the inclined face 11 of the movable wedging member or rail brace and vertically slotted as at 17 to accommodate the vertical portion of the rib 4. Passing transversely through the extension 15 of each movable wedging member or rail brace and through the fixed wedging member 16 and the rib 1 is a bolt 18. One end of this bolt is formed with a head and the other is screw threaded for engagement by a nut 19. It will be obvious that by turning up upon this nut the rail brace 13 which constitutes a shiftable wedging member will have wedging engagement with the wedging member 16 and that the rail brace will thereby be forced inwardly or toward the middle of the chair and against the rail. In order to provide for a vertical movement of the brace 13 and wedging member 16 with the rail 1 form the aperture through which the bolt 18 passes in the extension 15 and in the member 16 as a vertical slot 17 as shown clearly in Fig. 3 thus permitting the bolt and the wedging members to be raised or lowered to correspond with the elevation or depression of the rail. It is obvious that by shifting one of the wedging members or braces 13 outwardly and the other inwardly that the rail will be laterally shifted relative to the chair and that when this shifting has been accomplished the wedging members may be locked so as to hold the rail securely from further movement by turning up upon the nuts 19. It will also be obvious that bv driving in the wedges 10, the saddle 5 with the rail will be raised and such adjustment accomplished without the necessity of using any shims for the purpose.

By the use of the present invention it is possible for a. section hand to readily raise and lower or laterally adjust a rail. Inasmuch as the base plate 2 has a relatively extended bearing surface upon the tie the tie will be subjected to very little crushing strain and inasmuch as the base plate is permanently held to the tie by means of the screw spikes shown in dotted lines in Eig. 3 and designated 20 it will be obvious that the tie will last very much longer than it would were spikes used which directly engage the rail and have to be shifted when the rail is shifted thus causing a constant respiking of the tie and very much reducing its life. here the improved rail chair is used it is economically possible to treat the tie. This is not the case where the rail is held directly to the tie by means of spikes or where any construction is used requiring that spikes be shifted in order to shift the rails. This respiking of the rails reduces very greatly their life and as a consequence it is not worth while to treat the ties. The tie treatment is too expensive considering the life of the rail.

It may be pointed out that the particular construction of the base plate formed from a deformed T bar renders the base plate very rigid and strong and yet it may be cheaply made. The web or rib formed upon the base plate strengthens this base plate against any deformation and provides a solid abutment against which the wedging members may bear. If the ends of the base plate were simply turned up it is obvious that they might be bent back again under lateral thrust of a passing train, but this is entirely resisted by the vertical web and the slotted saddle plate.

The saddle or supporting plate 5 when lowered rests firmly and solidly upon the base plate and when the wedges 10 are driven in the saddle is supported at four points equally. Any lateral or tipping thrust trans mitted to the rail will be resisted by the upwardly extending heads of the rail braces which will transmit the thrust to the abut ments which in turn will transmit the thrust to the saddle plate and to the wedges 10. Thus in this form of chair any lateral strain upon the rail will be distributed throughout the entire structure and a lateral strain or pressure upon one of the abutments tending to bend it outward will be resisted not only by that abutment but by the opposite abutment, the saddle plate acting to directly transmit this strain.

hen it is desired to laterally adjust the rail to gage, one of the nuts 19 is loosened and the corresponding wedging member 13 forced outwardly, while the other nut is tightened forcing the corresponding wedge member 13 inwardly after which the parts are locked in position. When it is desired to elevate the rail both of the nuts 19 are loosened thus permitting the wedging members to ride upward with relation to the bolts and the wedges 10 are driven inward the required degree after which the wedges 10 are locked by means of the pins 12 and the nuts 19 are screwed home upon the bolts 18.

It will be noted that this improved chair corresponds in all respects to the requirements made in the final report of the Block Uignal and Train Control Board of the Interstate Commerce Commission. lhis board in its report made the following require ments: that the rail must be supported against vertical, horizontal and tipping thrust; that provision must be made for lateral and vertical adjustment of the rail without the removal of the primary fastenings and that this adjustment should be accomplished readily, should stay adjusted and that there should be no lost motion. These requirements are fulfilled by the chair heretofore described and the rail held solidly as to gage and as to surface.

It is to be particularly noted with regard to this chair that the degree of elevation of the rail or the degree of lateral adjustment of the rail may be very accurately and precisely secured by reason of the use of wedges as the means for vertically lifting the saddle plate, the rail and the rail braces. It will further be noted that the vertical adjustment or lateral adjustment of the rail do not require that the primary fastenings 20 shall be removed or the ballast under the ties secured.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A rail chair comprising a base plate, a rail supporting member vertically movable with relation to the base plate, rail clamps disposed upon said supporting member, and wedges arranged at opposite ends of the base plate and engaging between said base plate and the supporting member, said wedges being movable toward each other to raise the supporting member or away from each other to lower said supporting member.

2. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upwardly extending abutments, means for permanently securing the base plate to a substructure, a rail supporting member slotted to receive said abutments and vertically movable with relation thereto, rail clamping means independent of the plate securing means disposed upon the rail supporting member and operatively engaging said abutments, and means disposed between the base plate and the rail supporting member whereby the latter may be vertically adjusted.

3. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding abutments at its ends,

a saddle plate slotted to receive said abutments and vertically movable thereon, rail clamping means disposed upon said saddle plate, and vertically acting wedges disposed between the base plate and said saddle plate.

at. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding abutments at its ends, a saddle plate slotted to receive said abutments and vertically movable thereon, rail clamping means disposed upon said saddle plate, and vertically acting wedges disposed between the base plate and said saddle plate, the base plate and saddle plate being slotted to receive said wedges.

5. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding abutments, a saddle plate slotted to receive said abutments and vertically movable thereon, wedging means engaging the base plate and the saddle plate for vertically shifting the same, rail clamping means adjustable with relation to but disposed upon said saddle plate, and means for locking the rail clamping means to said abutments.

6. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upturned abutments at its ends, a saddle plate vertically shiftable upon said base plate, wedging means engaging between the base plate and said saddle plate to lift the latter, rail braces disposed between the abutments, means engaging said abutments for wedging said rail braces inward, and means for locking said rail braces in their adjusted position.

7. A rail chair comprising a base plate having an abutment thereon, a saddle plate vertically movable upon the base plate, lifting wedges engaging between the saddle plate and the base plate, a wedging member engaging with said abutment but vertically movable with relation thereto and having an inner inclined face, a rail engaging wedging member having an outer inclined face coacting with the first named wedging member, and means for drawing said wedging members toward each other and thereby against a rail.

8. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding abutments each of said abutments being formed with an inwardly projecting rib, a supporting plate or saddle having sliding engagement with said abutments for vertical movement, means for wedging said saddle vertically upward, and coacting pairs of wedging members one of which is adapted to engage a rail disposed between said abutments, and bolts passing through said wedging members and the rib of each abutment whereby the wedging members may be forced into wedging engagement with each other, and means permitting the wedging members to have vertical movement independent of the bolts.

9. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upwardly turned ends, the body of said base plate and the ends being formed with an integral inwardly extending median rib, the base of each upwardly eX- tending end of the base plate being vertically slotted, a saddle plate resting upon the base plate and formed with a longitudinal slot and intersecting transverse slots at the ends thereof to accommodate the upturned ends of the rib of said base plate, wedges disposed between the saddle plate and the base plate at each end thereof, rail braces disposed between the abutments and each having a lateral extension and having its outside face inclined, longitudinally fixed wedging members slotted to engage the rib of said base plate and to move vertically thereon and having an inner inclined face coacting with the inclined face of the rail brace, and bolts passing through the extension of each rail brace, through the fixed wedging member and through the abutment whereby the wedging members may be forced into wedging engagement with each other.

10. A rail chair of the character described comprising a base plate having upturned abutments at each end, each abutment having an inwardly extending vertical rib upon its inside face, the base plate being slotted at the base of said abutments, a saddle plate slotted to receive said abutments and the ribs thereof, the ends of the saddle on the under face thereof being cut away, rail clamping members disposed upon the saddle and wedges engaging between the saddle and the base plate, the under face of the saddle and the base plate being grooved to receive said wedges, said wedges being perforated, and locking means passing through said perforations and disposed between the under face of the cut away portion of the saddle and the upper face of the base plate.

11. A rail chair comprising a base plate having an upstanding abutment, a rail supporting member adjustable vertically of the base plate, co-acting wedges interposed be tween the abutment and rail, one of said movement of the co-acting wedges independently of said rail supporting member.

12. A rail chair including a base plate having upstanding abutments provided with inwardly extending ribs, a rail supporting member movable vertically with respect to the base plate, co-acting wedging'members disposed on opposite sides of the rail and interposed between the rail and adjacent abutment, one of the wedging members on each side of the rail constituting a brace and the other of said wedging members having a vertical slot formed therein adapted to receive the rib of the adjacent abutment, means interposed between the base plate and rail supporting member for adjusting the latter vertically, and means piercing the co-acting wedging members on each side of the rail for holding the braces in engagement with the rail.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST G. LIEBMANN. [1 s] lVitnesses:

J..D. YOAKLEY,

Fanonnro B. WRIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing" the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. G. 

